Shake up Lurlinemas
by Ultimate Queen of Cliffies
Summary: Just some cute and fluffy Lurlinemas Fiyeraba, because I'm in the mood and I love writing these things :). Shiz-era, AU.
1. Chapter 1 The kidnapping

**AN: This is just something cute and fluffy that popped into my head - because I LOVE Christmas and despite the fact that I'm already writing Merry Lurlinemas with Musicgal3, I just needed more Lurlinemas Fiyeraba fluff. And more. And more and more and more.**

**This will most likely be a two-shot... maybe a three-shot or more, depending on how much more winter fluffiness I can come up with. Can you guess where the title came from? *All of you chorus, "Not another Train song!"* Of course another Train song, Shake Up Christmas, though the version being played on the radio here is a cover by Natasha Bedingfield. If you don't know the song, I'm going to chase you around with pitchforks until you listen to it, because it's my favourite and it's amazing.**

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**The kidnapping**

Elphaba Thropp sighed inwardly as she sat down at the dinner table. Her father and sister were immersed in some kind of religious conversation, not even sparing her a glance; and for what must be the thousandth time, she wondered why she hadn't just stayed at Shiz for Lurlinemas break – or accepted either Fiyero or Galinda's invitation to spend the break in the Vinkus or Gillikin, respectively - instead of agreeing to come home for the holidays.

She sighed again when she realised that she exactly knew why she hadn't done that. Her father had insisted she come home – and besides, Nessa had asked her to come, and she could never say no to her baby sister.

"Fabala," the wheelchair-bound girl had pleaded. "We haven't seen Father in months! Please? I want us all to be together for the holidays – our entire family!"

Elphaba had hesitated at first, at which Nessa had haughtily added, "And besides, you don't really have a choice – I need you to come with me so that you can take care of me."

Elphaba had eventually caved, knowing that Nessa was right, and so here she was. She had regretted her decision from the moment she had first stepped through the door and her father had come to greet them – Nessa with a warm hug and a lot of questions about Shiz, Elphaba with the impatient order to take Nessa's things upstairs. He had taken Nessa into the salon to have tea with her and talk, leaving Elphaba to wander around the house aimlessly. She had lived there for twenty years, but it did not feel like home at all.

Nessarose and Frexspar had gone to church the night before, on Lurlinemas Eve; and Nessa had insisted on having dinner 'as a family' on Lurlinemas Day. The girl was practically glowing as she talked to her father, gesturing wildly as they were discussing the sermon they had attended the night before. Despite everything, it made Elphaba smile to see her sister like this. She loved to see Nessa this happy… even if that meant having to pretend that they were a happy family having Lurlinemas dinner together.

"Elphaba, how did you do on your midterms?" Nessarose asked her sister. "I showed you my results, but I haven't seen yours yet!"

Before Elphaba could reply, Frex said in surprise, "Nessarose, why didn't you tell me you had your results back?"

_Maybe she would have, if you weren't locked up in your office all day. So far for happy family holidays. _

Of course Elphaba did not speak that thought aloud, but she couldn't help thinking it. It was always the same. Frex would shower Nessa with gifts and compliments, he showed her off when they were in public and he talked about her to anyone who wanted to hear – about how tragically beautiful she was, how well she did in university and how great a Governess she would be; but when it came to actually _caring _for the girl, bathing her and helping her dress, and drying her tears when she was upset, Frex was nowhere to be found. That had always been Elphaba's job.

"How did you do, my precious girl?" Frex was asking Nessa now. "Did you pass?"

She smiled at him. "I did, Father. I passed everything. I was so happy!"

Frex immediately started complimenting her until Nessa was beaming. Elphaba just picked quietly at her food.

When the next course was served and she saw that it was a large piece of roasted meat, her heart sank.

Nessa, sensing her sister's mood, lightly touched her father's arm. "Father?" she said softly. "Elphaba does not eat meat, remember?"

Frex, who obviously hadn't remembered, just scowled. "That is the most preposterous thing I have ever heard," he said irritably.

Elphaba already opened her mouth to start arguing about animals and Animals, and that no-one knew where the meat came from these days, but Frex threw her a disgusted look that clearly told her to keep her mouth shut.

"If you don't want to eat the food our cooks spent the entire day making, fine," Frex said, clearly angry with her. "But don't think you'll get anything else."

Nessa threw Elphaba a helpless look. The green girl just gave her sister a half-hearted smile and served herself some salad.

That was pretty much how the rest of the meal went – Nessa trying to engage Elphaba in conversation, followed by Frexspar directing the conversation back to revolve around his most precious little girl – and when it was over, Elphaba all but fled to the attic, where she slept, as quickly as possible. She closed the door behind her, breathing a sigh of relief. She understood Nessa's desire to be a happy family together; but the truth was, they weren't a happy family and they never would be, no matter how hard they tried.

It was icy cold in the attic – as usual during winter time – and Elphaba shivered. She huddled in her thin, raggedy blanket, pulling out a book for herself to read. She preferred books over human company, anyway. Especially if said human company included her father.

Oz, she wished she was somewhere else right now. Longingly, she thought about Galinda and Fiyero, and what they would be doing for the holidays. She imagined a grand Lurlinemas party at the Uplands' home, involving lots of squealing and hugging, a bunch of bubbly blonde society girls, glasses filled with champagne and a room full of pink decorations. She thought about the ball that the King and Queen of the Vinkus would most likely organise, and she imagined Fiyero sipping from a glass of Vinkun wine and dancing with all the pretty girls that would attend. She bit her lip at the thought. He had invited her to come with him to the Vinkus for a few weeks – he said his parents were dying to meet his new girlfriend, the one that had got him thinking, and she had wished she could go. She had even written a letter to her father about it, but he forbade her to go, reminding her that she needed to stay at home to care for Nessa.

She missed both Galinda and Fiyero dreadfully. Especially Fiyero. She had written them both letters, and she had told them how bored she was and how much she wished that she could be with them right now. Galinda had already sent her at least five letters back in the one week since they had parted for the holidays – and the blonde's pink-and-gold letters filled with excitement and exclamation marks always made Elphaba smile - but she had yet to receive her first letter from Fiyero. She tried to ignore the nagging voice in her head that told her that he had probably found a much more pretty – and _normal _– girl and that he had forgotten all about his green girlfriend back in Munchkinland.

"Elphaba?" Nessa called from downstairs. "Fabala, would you please come down and play the piano for us? You know I love it when you do that…"

Elphaba sighed. "Nessa…"

"Please?" her sister added, and the green girl grumbled, but put her book away and made her way down the stairs.

Frex looked at her disapprovingly. "Why did you go upstairs?" he wanted to know. "You know your sister wanted to spend tonight as a family – and that means all of us, Elphaba. Including you. Why do you always have to ruin everything for Nessarose?"

Feeling her temper flare up, Elphaba snapped, "I didn't think I even _was _a part of this family to you!"

Nessa gasped. "Elphaba!"

"You're not," Frex said icily. "Not to me."

Nessa looked up at him with wide eyes.

He went to stand behind his daughter's chair and put both his hands on her shoulders, looking over Nessa's head at his oldest daughter. "But you are to Nessa, and so you're staying with us this evening."

Elphaba opened her mouth to retort, but upon seeing Nessa's face, she closed it again. She reminded herself that she was doing this for her sister. Nessa enjoyed this evening and Elphaba would not be the one to ruin that for her.

So instead of letting her temper get the better of her, she ignored Frex and knelt down in front of Nessa's chair, looking up at her sister. "Which song would you like to hear, Nessie?" she asked her gently.

Nessa's face relaxed into a smile – a grateful one. She was happy that Elphaba did not push this further, because they both knew if she did, she and Frex would end up having one of those fights they all knew Nessa hated. Fights involving lots of words, screamed accusations, and even the occasional physical punishment from Frex.

"Play 'Silent Night'," Nessa now begged her sister. "Please?"

Elphaba smiled at her. "Of course." She rose to her feet gracefully and moved over towards the piano, sitting down and flexing her fingers before starting to play. The soft tones of the beautiful melody floated through the house, and Nessa clasped her hands together in delight.

They all sang together, as they did every year. It was the only time that Elphaba truly did feel like she was a part of this family. Frex sang in a low hum, his eyes closed, while Nessa's voice was higher, thin and fragile and pretty, like she herself was. Her eyes were shining and there was a smile on her face as her eyes met Elphaba's, and the green girl returned the smile. She was glad she could make her sister happy like this.

When the song was finished, they all sat quietly for a while before Frex finally rose to his feet. "It's getting late," he said gruffly. "Take your sister to bed, Elphaba."

Elphaba did as she was asked without any protest.

* * *

Elphaba, Nessarose and Frexspar were sitting in the dining room having breakfast when a maid hurried into the room.

"Excuse me, Governor Thropp," she said, curtseying for him, then the girls. "Miss Nessarose, Miss Elphaba. Someone is at the door."

Frex sighed, laying down his utensils. He looked at his daughters. "Give me a moment, please." Then he rose to his feet and followed the maid out of the room.

Elphaba and Nessa made pleasant conversation as they continued to eat, and when Frex returned not too long thereafter, he did not say anything; he just sat back down, replaced his napkin on his lap and picked up his utensils again as if they had not been interrupted at all. Elphaba briefly wondered who had been at the door, but then decided it didn't really matter and shrugged it off. She had other things to worry about.

Like why Fiyero still hadn't written back.

When breakfast was over, Nessarose announced that she was going into town with Boq and Frex retreated into his study once again; so Elphaba just fetched herself a book and went outside, seeking refuge in a tree. It was cold, but she had made sure to dress warmly. She preferred the gardens over the mansion itself. It was so big, so dignified, so… empty. She felt so out of place in there. At least out here, she could blend in with the leaves… most of the time, anyway. Now, of course, the tree branches were bare; but despite that fact, and despite the cold, she would much rather sit out here than inside in the official-looking sitting room.

She put her book to the side after a moment, letting her legs dangle down, staring off into the distance. Then she jumped down and wandered through the gardens for a moment, breathing in the crisp winter air. As usual in Munchkinland, the winter was cold, but there was no snow. Elphaba had never seen snow before in her life, but Fiyero and Galinda had both been gushing on about it as if it was the most wonderful thing in the world.

Fiyero…

She sighed and sat down on the old swing in the back of the gardens, swinging back and forth a little. She wondered what he was doing right now. Was he having fun with his family?

_Or with some other girls…_

She tried to shake off that thought, but the truth was that she still did not believe that he really loved her. They had only been together for a few weeks, after all. After they had saved that Lion Cub together, Fiyero had broken things off with Galinda; and not too long thereafter, he had confessed the true reason for that to his ex-girlfriend: he was in love with her best friend.

Galinda had been shocked at first, but when he had gotten over it – and realised that she and Fiyero really had had nothing but a superficial relationship, anyway – she had helped him. Elphaba had almost laughed at him at first, but once she realised he was being serious, she had hesitantly agreed to go on a date with him.

After that, they had been on a few more dates; and Fiyero had slowly started to succeed in convincing Elphaba that he really was in this for the long haul and that he was in love with her.

Only now she was starting to have doubts again.

She swung a little higher, closing her eyes; but her eyes snapped open again when she suddenly felt two hands against her back, pushing her to swing higher.

She let out a small laugh when she realised who it must be. "Nessa, be careful –"

"I'm not Nessa," a voice chuckled behind her, and she nearly fell off the swing. Luckily, he caught her.

He grinned down at her. "Hello there."

She was completely baffled – she could only stare at him. "Fi-Fiyero?" she managed to get out.

His grin widened.

"What are you doing here?"

He put her down on her feet and bowed. "I received a letter, telling me of a damsel in distress," he said, laughing when she rolled her eyes. "And so I decided to write some letters myself… and now I'm here to sweep you off your feet – literally," she let out a small shriek when he did exactly that, scooping her up in his arms bridal style, "and kidnap you."

She blinked at him. "What?"

He grinned down at her. "I wrote to your father," he said. "So did my parents. We knew Nessarose wanted you here for some family quality time, so we asked your father if you could spend the second half of the break with us. Of course he couldn't very well say no to the King and Queen of the Vinkus, and I believe Nessarose pleaded with him as well…"

Elphaba was surprised. "She did?"

Fiyero shrugged. "She knew that you'd much rather be in the Vinkus with me than here with your father," he said. "She's your sister – despite everything, she does want to see you happy. You spent one week here, and now you're going to spend the other three weeks in the Vinkus with me."

She was speechless. "But… how… what…" she stammered. "Did my father…"

"He wasn't really happy with it," Fiyero acknowledged. "But he gave in eventually. I already spoke to him, and Nessa helped me pack your things. You're ready to go."

"That… that was you at the door this morning?" Elphaba croaked.

"Yep. I asked your father not to tell you yet. I wanted it to be a surprise." He looked at her a bit apprehensively. "So… you haven't really said anything yet," he pointed out to her with a nervous chuckle. "Do you even like it?"

"Like it?" She laughed incredulously, then threw her arms around him, kissing him. "Thank you so much, Yero! This is the best surprise ever!"

He smiled against her lips. "See, that was the reaction I was hoping for." He kissed her again and squeezed her hand. "Come on," he said. "Let's get out of here."

They wasted no time. Elphaba went to say a quick goodbye to Nessa, as well as a hesitant 'thank you' to Frex – who just muttered something and waved her away – and before she knew it, she was in a carriage with Fiyero, heading for the Vinkus.

"I can't believe this is really happening," Elphaba admitted, dropping her head against Fiyero's shoulder as he put his arm around her and pulled her closer. She looked up at him. "To be perfectly honest with you, I thought you wouldn't even think of me," she said. "I thought you'd be having fun with your family, and the guests your family undoubtedly invited…" _And the guests' daughters…_

He looked at her as if she had grown two heads. "Are you serious?" he demanded. "Fae, of _course _I've been thinking about you. All the time. I didn't have fun – I spent this entire week alternating between trying to arrange for you to come to the Vinkus and wishing you would be there already. I missed you. So much."

She looked down at her hands, which were resting languidly in her lap. "When you didn't write back, I thought…" She sighed. "I thought you'd forgotten about me."

"Oh, Fae." He took her hands in his, forcing her to look at him. "I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "I wanted to write, I really did, but I was afraid that I would spoil the surprise if I did, because I'm so bad at keeping secrets and… Hey." He tilted her chin up, forcing her to look into his eyes. "I could never forget about you," he said. "I love you."

She gaped at him.

"Yes, you heard that right," he told her before she could say anything. "I love you. It may be a little bit soon, and you don't have to say it back, but I want you to know how I feel. I could never forget about you, and even if there were a hundred pretty girls falling all over me, I would barely even notice them. No words will ever be enough to tell you how much you mean to me."

Suddenly, her eyes filled with tears, and he reached out to touch her cheek. "Fae?" he said anxiously. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry… I shouldn't have been so straightforward –"

She shook her head, smiling despite her tears. "That's not it, Yero." She took a deep breath and looked at him. "It's just that… no-one has ever said that to me before," she whispered.

He was taken aback by that. "No-one?"

She shook her head.

He put his arms around her and pulled her closer, resting his chin on top of her head. "Well, get used to it," he murmured into her hair. "Because I'm planning on saying it to you many, many more times."

She burrowed into his side, leaning into him. "I don't deserve you."

He laughed. "No way. It's the other way around, Fae. You're way too good for me." He kissed the top of her head. "But you chose me nonetheless, and for that I will be eternally grateful."

"Fiyero," she muttered a bit indignantly, and he chuckled.

"Sorry. Too cheesy?"

She opened her mouth to reply, but then she became aware of his hand softly stroking her side, and she forgot what she had been about to say.

They rode on in silence for a while, the rhythmic movements of the carriage lulling them both to sleep.

Her soft voice startled him – he'd thought she'd already been asleep. "Yero?"

He stroked her hair, his eyes still closed. "Yeah?"

Her voice was barely audible as she was drifting off to sleep already, but he just caught her words. "I love you, too."

His heart soared.

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**Reviews make me happy! :) Shake it up, shake up the happiness...**


	2. Chapter 2 The Tiggulars

**AN: I love you all. In a creepy way :D.**

**Fluff, to sort of make up for the mean cliffy in Be With Me... :3**

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**The Tiggulars**

"But what if they don't like me?"

"They'll love you," Fiyero assured her as he took her hands and led her through the castle.

She wasn't convinced. "But I'm green."

"They know you're green, and they don't care." Fiyero kissed her cheek. "Don't worry, Fae. My parents won't judge you, I promise, and neither will my sisters. Come on." He pushed open a door and announced, "We're home!"

"Yero!" Immediately, two girls bounded over to the door and started talking at the same time.

"I'm so glad you're home, the ball was so boring without you!"

"Finally, that took you long enough! Did she like the surprise?"

"Is this her?"

"Oh my Oz, she really _is _green!"

"Anwen!" a woman's voice chided the girl that had spoken last.

The girl – blonde and most likely about fifteen or sixteen years old – cast a guilty look over her shoulder. "Sorry."

The other girl, a brunette with the same sapphire eyes as Fiyero, was taking Elphaba in critically. "You were right, Yero," she finally decided. "She really is beautiful."

Elphaba blushed furiously and Fiyero laughed. His parents were laughing, too.

"I can only agree," the King said as he rose to his feet and made his way over to the couple. He took Elphaba's hand and kissed it in an elaborate gesture. "Elphaba Thropp, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. I'm Hamold."

Elphaba smiled a bit shyly.

The Queen was next, smiling at Elphaba and giving her a brief hug. "Welcome, Elphaba. I'm Lori." She led Elphaba inside the room. "These are our daughters," she said, stopping in front of the two girls again. "This is Rayenna. She's eighteen years old."

The dark-haired girl curtsied.

"And this is Anwen. She's sixteen."

The blonde girl did the same, though she was practically bouncing. "Elphaba, can I ask you a question?"

"Um… sure," Elphaba said, feeling a bit awkward under all these interested gazes.

Anwen grinned at her. "How did you make Fiyero think?" she asked. "Because, you know, we've been trying it for years already, but we never succeeded, so I was just wondering…"

"That's quite enough, An," Fiyero warned his sister, but Anwen just batted her eyelashes at him innocently.

"Do you want some hot cocoa, Elphaba?" Lori asked the green girl.

"Do _you _want some, Fiyero?" Fiyero said, pinching his voice to sound more like his mother's. "Why yes, Mum, thank you for asking!"

The others laughed, and Fiyero ushered Elphaba into the room and made her sit down on the couch. Elphaba looked around in slight bewilderment. She had expected two people on thrones, dressed in royal blue and wearing crowns, with princesses in sparkly ball gowns and with tiaras on their heads. She had expected a giant, elaborately decorated ballroom filled with dancing guests, huge buffets and an orchestra to play waltzes and other royal dances. She hadn't expected everything to be so… cosy. Intimate. She realised that all this time she had pictured these people as the Royal Family of the Vinkus, but she had completely overlooked the fact that they were also just Fiyero's family.

The sitting room was large, but not overly so, and filled with light due to the huge windows that looked out over the castle gardens. There were candles everywhere, a fire was burning in the fireplace, and there was a beautifully decorated Lurlinemas tree in a corner, with presents underneath it. The King was sitting in an armchair, sipping his coffee as he read the paper; Rayenna was sprawled out on the rug in front of the fire, reading a book, and Anwen was skipping through the room, humming Lurlinemas songs. It was exactly the picture Elphaba had always imagined when thinking of a family, and it brought a lump to her throat.

Fiyero sat down next to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Hey. You okay?"

She nodded, still in awe at the whole situation. "Fiyero," she whispered. "They're so… normal."

He smiled warmly at her. "I'm a prince, and I'm normal," he reminded her. "Had you expected my family to be so different?"

"Yes," she had to admit, and he laughed.

"They're not," he assured her. "They're amazing – all of them."

"But…" Elphaba tried to wrap her mind around this. "Shouldn't you be, I don't know, hosting a great feast, or something? For the people?"

"We did that on Lurlinemas Eve," Fiyero said. "Lurlinemas Eve is for the guests – a banquet and a ball. Lurlinemas Day is for the people, when we ride around the Vinkus in a carriage and visit orphanages and stuff – my Mum took Anwen and Rayenna this year, because Dad was busy and I was… well, on my way to kidnap you." He grinned at her. "But the day after Lurlinemas is our family day. We just stay in, tell stories, sing Lurlinemas songs and have hot cacao like every other family. I knew you wouldn't really mind missing out on the grand ball," he said teasingly, and she had to admit that he was right.

"Fiyero told me you like books, Elphaba," Hamold said, peering over his newspaper. "Would you like to see the library while you're here?"

Elphaba held her breath in excitement. "You have a library?"

"Dad!" Fiyero whined. "Once you show her that room, I'm not going to see her for the rest of the break, and that was _not _my intention when I asked if she could stay here!"

Elphaba laughed and Hamold grinned at his son. "Maybe you should join her, then," he said. "It wouldn't hurt you to spend some more time in libraries."

Fiyero made a face. "I spent two weeks in the library at Shiz for midterms, and you're _still _saying I should spend more time in libraries?" he complained.

Hamold stared at him. Rayenna dropped her book and even Anwen stopped dancing to gape at her older brother.

"Are you serious?" the youngest girl choked out.

Fiyero looked a bit offended. "Yes, I am!"

"Alright," Rayenna said. "Who are you and what have you done with Fiyero?"

"I think the real question is what _Elphaba _has done with Fiyero," Anwen corrected her with a giggle.

Elphaba blushed and Fiyero put his arm around her shoulders. "Yes, my darling sisters, take a look at the girl who managed to do what you never could," he said dramatically.

Anwen rolled her eyes. "Oh, dear."

Lori, who re-entered the room, laughed. She was followed by a maid carrying a tray with mugs and a plate of homemade biscuits.

"Mum, can we do presents now?" Fiyero asked enthusiastically.

"Don't you agree that he sounds like a five-year-old when he does that?" Rayenna asked Elphaba in amusement, and the green girl laughed.

"Sure, Fiyero," Lori conceded, rolling her eyes, but smiling at the same time. Fiyero immediately jumped to his feet and ran towards the tree, where Anwen was already sitting on the floor. Hamold hurriedly put away his newspaper and joined his son and daughter, and Rayenna left her book on the floor and scrambled to her feet as well.

Lori smiled at Elphaba. "Are you coming, sweetheart? There are some presents for you, too!"

Elphaba flushed. "Oh, that's… that's so kind of you, but… but I don't have any presents for you," she stammered.

Fiyero rolled his eyes and pulled her to sit beside him. "Of course you don't, we hadn't expected you to. This entire trip was a surprise, after all." He kissed her softly. "But that doesn't mean we didn't get _you _anything. We have to make up for nineteen crappy Lurlinemases, after all."

"They weren't that bad," Elphaba protested, but Fiyero raised an eyebrow at her.

"Listening to your father and sister preaching about the Unnamed God and being ignored by Frex as he praises Nessa for everything she does," Fiyero summarised drily. "Doesn't sound like much fun to me."

Elphaba sighed, giving in. "Okay, Lurlinemas was never really something I looked forward to," she admitted.

Fiyero grinned at her. "And we're going to change that, starting with…" He rummaged around in the presents. "This one, from me!"

She accepted the present with a slight blush, unwrapping it and holding her breath when she saw the book that was inside. It was a rare one she had mentioned to Fiyero once – she'd wanted to buy it, but she hadn't been able to find it anywhere. "Oh! Fiyero, I love it!"

"I don't believe it." Hamold feigned shock. "Fiyero actually went into a bookstore?"

The prince glared at his father. "Can we drop the brainless jokes now?"

"Never," Anwen giggled, earning herself a glare from her brother as well.

"My turn!" Rayenna sang, picking out a present. "This one is for Fiyero, from Mum and Dad!"

They kept on exchanging gifts, and Elphaba smiled upon seeing the family this happy together. Lori got jewellery from her husband and some beauty products from her children; Hamold got a pile of books for his library, as well as some ties; Anwen and Rayenna squealed over the beautiful dresses their parents gave them and tackled Fiyero in a bear hug when his presents for them were revealed – silver hand mirrors decorated with beautiful gemstones and a pair of jewelled shoes for each; and Fiyero was very happy with the cufflinks his sisters had bought him.

From his parents, he received a small, red, velvet box. He opened it with a puzzled expression on his face, but when he saw what was inside, his breath hitched.

He looked up at his parents. "Are… are you sure?" he asked them, his voice a bit hoarse.

Lori smiled at him and nodded. "Yes, Fiyero," she said softly. "It's up to you what to do with it, of course, but we just wanted to let you know that we approve. Definitely. And we thought you might want to…"

"I do," he said, before getting up and hugging them both. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," said Hamold, both he and his wife wearing a knowing smile that mystified Elphaba.

"That is _so _adorable," Rayenna declared, though Anwen seemed to be as clueless as Elphaba was.

"Yero?" she whispered to him when he sat back down, but he just flashed her a beaming smile.

"I'll tell you later," he promised.

She nodded. "Okay."

She looked at her own pile of presents. There was the book from Fiyero, two other books from Hamold and Lori, and even Anwen and Rayenna had bought her presents – they had gone in together to give her a beautiful jewellery set, including a necklace, a bracelet and earrings, all silver and decorated with bright blue sapphires.

"Because we wanted to do something special for the girl that did the unthinkable to our dearest brother," Anwen had explained with a smirk, and Rayenna had added, "And because we want to welcome you into the family. It's the colour of Fiyero's eyes, see?"

Elphaba had been touched. No-one had ever done something like this for her before – a few times, Nessa had bought her a small gift for Lurlinemas or her birthday; and one time, Galinda had given her a set of make-up… but never had she received such an expensive gift, and that from people she barely even knew.

"Thank you so much," she'd said sincerely, but Rayenna had shaken her head. "Oh, you're not done with presents yet!" she had declared. And that was when Elphaba found out that Fiyero had, beside the book, also bought her a scarf of Vinkun silk, a new notebook with a set of pencils, a box filled with chocolate and a beautiful wooden hairbrush with the words, "_Merry Lurlinemas, Fae! Yours forever, Fiyero_" engraved in the back.

After that, she really was speechless.

"Yero, it's too much," she'd started when she found her voice again, but he had cut her off immediately.

"Just let me spoil my girlfriend," he told her sternly. "I love doing this for you, so you might as well just accept it."

She had, thanking him with a tight hug and a brief kiss – his parents were still in the room, after all – and he had given her one of those lopsided grins that made her heart do somersaults in her chest.

When they were done exchanging presents, they settled around the fireplace again.

Anwen sighed longingly. "I wish someone could play that piano," she said, looking at the grand piano standing in the corner of the room. "It would be so much fun to sing along with it! Lurlinemas songs!"

"I… I can play," Elphaba offered hesitantly, and the two princesses looked at her hopefully.

"You can?" Rayenna asked her, a smile spreading across her face. "Oh, would you, Elphaba? Please? It would be lovely!"

"Don't feel pressured, dear," Lori said to the green girl, but Elphaba shook her head.

"I like to play," she said. "I play for Nessa and Father, too, every Lurlinemas."

"Oh, dear," Fiyero muttered. "Bad memories."

Elphaba laughed. "No," she said. "Not at all. It reminds me of my mother – I remember her playing Lurlinemas songs every year…" She got a faraway look in her eyes for a moment before she shook her head in an attempt to clear it. She rose to her feet. "Which song would you like to hear?"

Immediately, everyone started yelling song titles at the same time.

"Shake up Lurlinemas!" That was Anwen.

"Wonderful dream," Rayenna said dreamily. "I love that song."

"Baby, it's cold outside." Hamold wiggled his eyebrows at Lori, who laughed.

"I'd love to hear Merry little Lurlinemas," she said.

Fiyero started jumping. "Ooh! Let it snow!" he suggested enthusiastically. He pointed at the window. "Especially since it's already snowing!"

"It is?" Anwen and Rayenna ran over to the windows, and Fiyero and Elphaba followed soon behind.

"Oh!" Elphaba held her breath. "It's beautiful!"

Fiyero wrapped his arms around her from behind. "I hope it sticks," he said. "It probably will – it always does. In a few days, we'll be able to build snowmen, and make snow angels, and ice skate on the frozen lake –"

"Elphaba, does it snow in Munchkinland?" Rayenna asked, and the green girl shook her head.

"Never," she said. "I've never seen snow before in my life."

The two princesses gaped at her.

"Unacceptable," Anwen declared.

Rayenna smiled broadly. "We'll take you outside tomorrow," she promised, "and we're going to play out in the snow all day long."

"Exactly what I was thinking," Fiyero said, resting his chin on top of Elphaba's head.

They watched the snowfall for a little while. It was slowly growing darker outside and finally, Lori drew the curtains shut and asked a maid to tell the cook to start preparing dinner soon.

Elphaba sat herself down at the piano, flexing her fingers. "Let it snow it is, then," she said, and started playing.

They all sang along, and Elphaba had to smile at their enthusiasm. Even though she did this at home every year, this was so much different. This family was so much different, so much warmer, than what she was used to. She loved it.

She played 'Let it snow', then 'Merry little Lurlinemas' and 'Wonderful dream'. Then she started playing 'Shake up Lurlinemas', which was also one of her own favourite songs, and they all took turns singing part of the song.

"At the same time, miles away," Rayenna sang. "A little boy made a wish that day." She elbowed Fiyero in the side, smirking at him. "That the world would be okay, and Santa Claus would hear him say…"

"I got dreams and I got love," Elphaba took over. "I've got my feet on the ground and family above. Can you send some happiness with my best to the rest of the people of the East and the West and maybe every once in while you give my father a reason to smile…"

Fiyero squeezed her shoulder as Rayenna sang again, "It's the season to smile. It's cold, but we'll be freezing in style."

"And let me meet a girl one day," Fiyero sang, wrapping his arms around Elphaba again and resting his chin on her shoulder. "That wants to spread some love this way. We can let our souls run free and she can open some happiness with me…"

"I love that song," Rayenna beamed when it was over. "It's just so sweet, and… I don't know. Happy."

Elphaba smiled. "I've always loved it, too."

Just then, a maid entered the room to announce that dinner was ready, and Fiyero offered Elphaba his hand to help her up.

He wrapped his arm around her waist as they walked through the hallway. "And?" he asked her in a low voice. "What do you think?"

She smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder, looking up at him. "Thank you so much, Yero," she said softly. "This is the best Lurlinemas ever."

Fiyero's grin widened and he kissed the tip of her nose. "And it has only just begun."


	3. Chapter 3 The snow

**AN: The final part of this Lurlinemas three-shot! I wanted to post it yesterday, on Christmas Day, but the site wouldn't allow me to log in ;_; so here it is, belated, but I hope you'll still read. And I hope you all had the most amazing Christmas ever :).**

**Faeyero Tiggular: Yes, Anwen and Rayenna were in my very first Wicked fanfic, Witches, Bubbles & Broomsticks, and in the sequel to that :). I wanted Fiyero to have siblings, so I decided to bring them back.**

**I love all your theories on the present Fiyero got from his parents. The kudos for getting it right go to Elphaba'sGirl :).**

* * *

**The snow**

Elphaba held out her hand, holding her breath when the tiny snowflakes landed on her skin. "Oh my Oz… this is amazing!"

Anwen and Rayenna were already playing around in the snow, chasing each other with snowballs and laughing all the while. Fiyero stayed with Elphaba, smiling as she touched snow for the first time in her life.

"It feels so strange," Elphaba said in wonder. "I mean… it's cold, and it's wet, but it's also kind of soft…" She brushed some snow off her hand, taking a few steps forward, enjoying the sound of the snow crunching beneath the soles of her boots.

Fiyero laughed and watched as she tilted her head back, opening her mouth and trying to catch the snowflakes on her tongue. She twirled around – very unlike her, but she felt like she was a little girl again. A big smile slowly spread across her face.

"Elphaba!" Rayenna called, grinning broadly. She beckoned the green girl. "Come make a snow angel with us!"

"Come on," Fiyero said and he took Elphaba's hand. Together they ran towards the two princesses, who were already lying on their backs in the snow, moving their arms and legs back and forth to create snow angels.

Elphaba yelped when Fiyero suddenly tackled her, landing him on top of her in the snow. He smiled and kissed her briefly. "Move your arms and legs."

She did, and he rolled off her and lay down next to her to make a snow angel of his own. Rayenna and Anwen were laughing, their coats, boots and hair covered in snow.

"Elphaba!" Anwen bounced up and down. "Do you want to build a snowman?"

"Yes!" Elphaba's eyes were shining as she scrambled to her feet and joined the princesses, helping them to make giant snowballs for the snowman's body. Fiyero smiled when he saw the look of almost childlike wonder in her eyes. He was glad that she was enjoying herself. He couldn't imagine never having seen or touched snow before, never having had a Lurlinemas filled with warmth and family and presents. Lurlinemas was his favourite time of the year; and he hoped that from now on, Elphaba would feel the same.

The girls made a snowman together, laughing and giggling all the while. When it was finished, Elphaba and Rayenna exchanged a happy smile; but then Anwen sneaked up on them and slipped handfuls of snow in the backs of their coats, making them both shriek when the cold snow slid down their backs.

"I'll get you!" Rayenna yelled, immediately starting to gather more snow in her arms and throwing snowball after snowball at her younger sister, who quickly ran off. Elphaba laughed and went to join them, but Fiyero caught her with his arm around her waist, rubbing snow in her hair.

She shrieked, "Fiyero!" but when she turned around, he saw that she was smiling broadly.

"Having a good time?" he asked her, and she nodded enthusiastically.

"The best," she said. "I never knew snow was so much fun."

He kissed her. "I love you."

She blushed a little upon hearing those words, but she smiled and slipped her arms around his back, kissing him again softly. "I love you, too."

He grinned at her, then took her hand again. "Come on," he said. "Let's see if you find ice just as amazing as you do snow."

* * *

"Fiyero," she protested, wobbling as she gripped his hands tighter. "This is a bad idea."

"Come on, Elphaba!" Anwen cheered as she skated around the green girl in perfect circles. "You can do it!"

"Don't worry, Fae, I've got you." Fiyero squeezed her hands. "Just move one foot in front of the other… yes, like that." He skated backwards, slowly pulling her with him as she tried to ice skate by herself.

"Stop thinking so much," he chided her gently. "You don't need to think about this. And don't look down." He let go of one of her hands to tilt her chin up, making her look at him. "Like that. Just look at me."

He sped up a little, keeping their eyes locked, and she started to move with him on her own accord. Slowly, he let go of her hands; and before she knew it, she was ice skating all by herself.

She held her breath when she realised that he had completely let go now. "Fiyero, I'm ice skating!"

He laughed. "So you are. And you're not awful at it, either."

She stuck out her tongue and tried to speed up, resulting in her losing her balance. Fiyero quickly grabbed her hands again to prevent her from falling over. "Careful." He started pulling her again. "Try again, move your legs. Left, right… didn't I tell you not to look at your feet?"

"But I will fall if I don't look at my feet!" she protested.

He laughed. "You didn't fall before," he pointed out to her. "You're doing fine, Fae. Just look at me."

She did, and his breath caught in his throat when he looked into those soul-searching, chocolate brown eyes. He could get lost in her eyes, and for the umpteenth time he realised how incredibly lucky he was to have her.

He was so caught up in her eyes that he just kept on skating backwards, not even seeing where he was going until his back suddenly hit a tree at the side of the frozen lake.

With a gasp, he lost his balance and tumbled forward, pulling Elphaba with him onto the ice, his breath knocked from his lungs.

She hovered over him, her dark eyes clouded with concern. "Yero? Are you alright?"

He was still gasping, trying to catch his breath. "Never… better," he panted, and she shook her head, smiling.

"I thought your carriage running me over was a one-time thing," she said, "but apparently it's a habit of yours to not watch where you're going."

He started protesting that his _driver _had almost run her over, not him; but before he could say anything, she continued, "What were you so caught up in, anyway?"

"Your eyes," he answered truthfully, causing a deep red blush to creep up into her cheeks.

He smiled and scrambled back up, offering her his hand to help her up as well. He gave her a gentle push and she flapped her arms in slight panic as she skidded forward on the ice, but then she regained her footing and carefully started skating by herself.

Fiyero was by her side again in mere clock-ticks, grinning at her. "So, ice or snow?"

She laughed. "I couldn't pick one if my life depended on it," she said. She slipped her fingers into his and squeezed his hand. "Thank you, Yero," she said sincerely. "These are the best few weeks of my life."

"Already? And you've only even been here for a few days," he teased her gently, leaning forward to steal a kiss. "I'm glad, Fae. Really. I want you to be happy."

"Elphaba!" Anwen cheered, skating backwards and grabbing the green girl's other hand as she passed her. "Come on, I'll teach you how to make pirouettes!"

Rayenna rolled her eyes. "An, she's only spent ten minutes on the ice so far," she pointed out. "Give the poor girl a break. I'll never forgive you if you chase away the first girl that made Fiyero think," she warned her sister.

"Is that how she'll be known in this family from now on?" Fiyero complained as Anwen now linked her arm with Elphaba's and skated away with the green girl. "As the first girl that made me think?"

"Yes!" Rayenna and Anwen yelled at the same time, now taking Elphaba in between them and pulling her along across the ice.

The two princesses taught Elphaba how to start and stop and guided her across the ice, faster and faster, before declaring that she was a natural, that after mere hours she could already ice skate just as well as Rayenna and Anwen themselves, and therefore she simply _had _to come back next year to practise some more.

Fiyero laughed upon hearing that. "Nice try, sis."

Anwen pouted. "It's true!" she insisted. She started tugging at Elphaba's arm. "Oh, Elphaba, _please_? You just _have _to come back next year! Or this summer! Or… or… spring break?"

"Oh, Anwen, I'd love to," Elphaba said honestly. "But… I don't think my father will accept it if I left again for spring break, and then _again _for summer vacation."

Anwen's face fell.

"We can arrange something!" Rayenna suggested enthusiastically. "Your father can have you for spring if you come back in the summer!"

Elphaba smiled, but shook her head. "Rayenna…"

"No, I'm serious," the brunette insisted. "We could write to him again. Work something out. Please, Elphaba?"

"We'll see," the green girl said. "I don't think spring break is going to work, and summer… well, summer is still four months away," she said practically. "Who even says Fiyero and I will still be together by then?"

Rayenna and Anwen stared at her in horror. "But…" Rayenna begin, but Fiyero cut her off.

"Let's go back inside," he suggested. He wanted to talk to Elphaba alone for a few moments.

Immediately, however, all three girls started protesting. "Noooo!" Anwen cried. "We still need to have another snowball fight!"

Promptly, a snowball hit her square in the face. Rayenna was doubled over with laughter. "How was that?"

Anwen quickly took her skates off, and so did Rayenna and Elphaba. Before Fiyero knew it, the three girls were running around the gardens again, chasing each other with snowballs. He laughed loudly when he saw Elphaba muttering something under her breath, allowing her to create and throw snowballs with one flick of her wrist.

"That's not fair!" Anwen shrieked. Another snowball of Elphaba's hit her.

"So you really do have magic, like Fiyero told us?" Rayenna's eyes were shining. "That's so cool!"

Fiyero made his way over to his sisters and girlfriend, but before he could say anything, one of Elphaba's snowballs came flying towards him.

"Fae!" he whined. "No magic! That's cheating!"

Another snowball hit him. Elphaba grinned at him, her dark eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Oh, I'll get you!" Fiyero started making a snowball of his own, but then he was attacked by more snowballs from three different directions.

"Okay, truce, truce!" he called, laughing as he lost his balance and toppled over in the snow. "I surrender!"

Rayenna and Anwen giggled.

"Come on, let's go inside," Rayenna whispered to her sister. "Give them some time alone."

Anwen grinned back at her. "We'll go inside now," she announced innocently. "We have to, um… clean our… room?"

Rayenna rolled her eyes and pulled her sister away.

"Smooth, Anwen!" Fiyero called after them. His sisters just giggled.

Fiyero turned around to face his girlfriend. "So now that it's just the two of us, what are we going to –"

He was cut off by a snowball in his face.

They spent the next ten minutes chasing one another with snowballs once again, until they finally landed on top of each other in the snow again.

Fiyero grinned up at her and she leant down to kiss him. "Let's go back inside," he said. "It's cold out here."

She shook her head. "I like it out here," she said.

He looked at her. There were snowflakes in her hair and on her eyelashes, and her coat was covered in them; but her eyes were sparkling and her cheeks were flushed. She looked more beautiful than ever.

He kissed her again, moving them so that she was lying next to him. "Fae?"

"Mm?"

"When you said that you think we might not even be together anymore by the summer…" He swallowed. "Do you know something I don't?"

"No!" She propped herself up on her elbows to look at him. "Of course not! I would never break up with you!"

He blinked, confused. "Then why…"

She sighed. "Because you never know what might happen," she said, lying back down again and staring up at the grey winter sky. "And… and because I still think that you might finally come to your senses somewhere between now and summer."

"Come to my senses?" he echoed incredulously.

She shrugged. "You know," she muttered. "Realise what you're doing. Who you're dating."

"Fae," he said, pushing himself up to a sitting position. She sat up as well, but she avoided his gaze.

He tilted her head backwards a little so that he could look in her eyes. "I know perfectly well who I'm dating," he told her. "I am dating the smartest, kindest, most caring and most beautiful girl in all of Oz. _You _made me come to my senses, Fae. You saw who I really was, and you pushed me to be the best person I could be. No-one has ever done that for me."

She blushed. "But…"

"But nothing," he told her sternly. His fingers closed around the small box in his pocket and for a moment he debated whether he should do give it to her right now, but he decided against it.

Instead, he rose to his feet and helped her up as well. "Come on," he said. "Let's go inside. You and I need to talk."

* * *

They changed out of their wet clothing first, then met up in the sitting room again, where a fire was burning in the fireplace. They had the entire room to themselves and they snuggled in front of the fire together, wrapped up in a blanket.

"So what did you want to talk about?" she asked him softly, her head on his shoulder.

He raised his own head to look at her. "I need to talk to you about the fact that apparently, I haven't made it clear to you that this is different," he said. "_You _are different…"

She snorted. "You could say that."

He gave her a look and she fell silent again.

"I meant that this," he gestured between them, "you and me, is different from any relationship I've ever had before. I love you, Elphaba. I really, really do. And I know you're scared to look too far ahead, because you're afraid you'll lose it all, but I want you to know that I'm not planning on breaking up with you, Fae. Like… ever. I never thought I'd say this to anyone – and I'm sure my parents never thought I'd say it, either – but I can see us getting married and having children together." He pulled the tiny box from his pocket and watched Elphaba's eyes widen to the size of saucers.

"Don't worry, I'm not proposing," he said, chuckling when he saw the relieved expression on her face. "I realise it's a bit soon for that. But this," he opened the box and showed her the beautiful ring that was sitting inside, "this is a promise that I _will _propose one day, Fae. My parents gave it to me when we were exchanging Lurlinemas presents. It's an old family heirloom. In my family, we don't do arranged marriages. Instead, parents are supposed to give it to their eldest son, the heir to the throne, as a sign that they approve of the girl he chose. If the son intends to marry the girl, he gives the ring to her."

He fingered the piece of jewellery, studying it from all angles. Then he looked back up at Elphaba's face. "I don't want to propose, because I don't want to pressure you before you're ready," he said. "But I want you to know that I'm more serious about this than I have ever been about anything in my life before, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

She stayed completely silent, but she did allow him to take her hand and slip the ring around the ring finger on her right hand. It fit her perfectly.

She played with it for a few moments, twirling it around her finger, staring down at it. Then she looked up with him again, her large brown eyes filled with tears.

He was a little alarmed. "Fae?"

Then she threw her arms around him, sending them both toppling to the floor. She kissed him deeply.

"I love you so much, Yero," she said, her voice sounding a little choked, and he smiled and kissed her again.

"I love you, too, Fae." He sat up again, pulling her against his side. "Does that mean you accept my pre-proposal?"

She smiled broadly. "Yes. Of course."

He smiled, too, kissing her again. He pulled her closer, nuzzling her hair. "Fae?"

"Mm?"

"I would really love for you to come back here in summer."

She looked up at him. "Me, too," she said softly.

"We'll ask your father." He planted a kiss on the top of her head. "He agreed to this, after all, so I think we should be able to work something out for the summer, too."

"I hope so." She dropped her head against his shoulder.

Fiyero looked at her. He really _would _love to have her back for the summer, but if that didn't turn out to be possible, he could wait.

After all, he now knew that they would still have a lifetime together.

* * *

They spent that night together with the entire Tiggular family plus Elphaba, playing games and talking in the large sitting room – the one with the Lurlinemas tree in it.

Elphaba was currently caught up in a discussion with Hamold and Rayenna about a good book the three of them had all read the other day, but they were interrupted when Anwen put up some music.

"Let's dance!" she suggested brightly, pulling Fiyero off the floor and staring to dance around the room with him.

Lori laughed and Hamold pulled Rayenna up, leading his daughter into a waltz. The Queen moved over to sit next to the green girl and together they watched the others for a while.

"It really is nice to have you hear, Elphaba," Lori said after a while. "It's been a pleasure meeting you, and I hate to see you go again in two weeks."

Elphaba smiled. "Thank you. It was a pleasure meeting you, too." She followed Fiyero with her eyes as he danced around the room with his younger sisters, laughing.

Lori was smiling as well. "You really love him, don't you?"

Elphaba looked to the side. "I do."

Lori's smile widened. "Good."

"Come on, Fae!" Fiyero appeared by her side, his sapphire blue eyes sparkling as he helped her to her feet and swept her around the room in a ballroom dance. She relaxed and let him lead her, laughing at his childlike enthusiasm.

The music stopped and they came to a standstill, both of them laughing, faces flushed, slightly out of breath. Fiyero smiled down at her and made to lead her back to the couch, but then Anwen pointed at something above them and shouted, "Mistletoe!"

Rayenna clasped her hands together in delight. "Oh, this is the most romantic thing ever!" she gushed.

"I often think she and Galinda would get along pretty well," Fiyero murmured in Elphaba's ear, making her laugh.

"I think so, too."

"Kiss, kiss, kiss!" Anwen started cheering.

"Now, Anwen, stop that right now," Hamold chided. "Don't pressure them." Then he looked at his son and Elphaba. "Seriously, though," he said drily. "You're standing underneath the mistletoe, so you have to kiss."

Lori rolled her eyes. "Hamold, please!"

Her husband just grinned at her.

"I don't mind kissing you," Fiyero mumbled in Elphaba's ear. "Do you?" He wasn't sure if she was comfortable with kissing him in front of his family.

"No." She was blushing. "Of course not."

He smiled. "Good."

Then he swept her in his arms and kissed her breathless.

When they finally broke apart, they looked into each other's eyes, and Elphaba smiled. "Happy Lurlinemas, Yero."

He smiled, too, and leant down again to steal another kiss. His fingers were clasping hers and he could feel the ring he had given her around her ring finger, causing his smile to widen.

"Happy Lurlinemas, Fae."


End file.
